SWISS has reported an average seat load factor of 75.2% for the first nine months of 2004…
SWISS has reported an average seat load factor of 75.2% for the first nine months of 2004, a 3.6-percentage-point improvement on the same period last year. Seat load factor on the company`s intercontinental services rose 3.6 percentage points to 80.9% for the period, while its European services saw seat load factor increase 3.1 percentage points to 62.1%. SWISS carried a total of seven million passengers in the first nine months of the year. Third-quarter seat load factor amounted to 78.6%, one percentage point up on its 2003 equivalent. Cargo load factor for the first nine months of 2004 amounted to 85.8%, a 2.2-percentage-point improvement on the same period last year.
The modifications effected to its route network under its current corporate restructuring had a positive impact on the load factors recorded by SWISS for the first nine months of 2004. The company posted a seat load factor of 75.2% for the period, a 3.6-point increase on the equivalent result last year. SWISS carried a total of seven million passengers on its scheduled services in the first nine months of the year. A year-on-year comparison of absolute passenger figures is not meaningful in view of the decrease in production resulting from adjustments to the route network.
SWISS offered 19.5% fewer available seat-kilometres in January to September 2004 than it had for the prior-year period. The associated decline in revenue passenger-kilometres for the same comparative periods was stemmed to 15.5%, however, prompting a corresponding increase in load factor. SWISS`s seat load factor for September 2004 amounted to 78.0%, an improvement of 3.0 percentage points on the same month last year.
Seat load factor on SWISS European services for the first nine months of 2004 stood at 62.1%, up 3.1 percentage points on the prior-year period. While available-seat-kilometre capacity was 21.0% below its 2003 levels, the associated fall in revenue passenger-kilometres was limited to 16.8%.
SWISS did, however, see a decline in its European load factors over the summer months, culminating in a 2.9-point reduction in September to 65.3%. The trend can be ascribed to a number of factors. For one, the modifications to the SWISS route network have increased the proportion of long-haul passengers with Switzerland as their origin or destination. This has had an adverse impact on European seat load factors, as the well-patronised long-haul services have been able to carry fewer passengers transferring to or from European feeder flights. The negative effects of this phenomenon were felt especially strongly in the summer months.
European seat load factors also suffered through SWISS`s own increases in capacity on selected routes. And they were further depressed by the growing competition from no-frills carriers and by the non-operation in 2004 of the scheduled services to destinations in Southeast Europe which had generated high seat load factors in the summer of the previous year.
SWISS`s seat load factor for its intercontinental services amounted to 80.9% for the first nine months of the year, a 3.6-percentage-point improvement on the same period in 2003. Available-seat-kilometre capacity was 18.8% down on its prior-year level; but revenue passenger-kilometres flown over the period were only a 15.0% decline on their 2003 equivalent. The load factors for SWISS`s intercontinental services have been consistently above their prior-year levels since March 2004. And the 83.8% seat load factor recorded for September was a substantial 5.8 percentage points up on the same month last year.
Third-quarter load factor results
SWISS carried just under 2.5 million passengers on its scheduled services in the third quarter of 2004 and recorded a seat load factor of 78.6%, one percentage point up on the same period a year ago. Seat load factor on European services amounted to 65.7% for the period, a 2.8-point year-on-year decline. SWISS`s intercontinental services posted a third-quarter seat load factor of 84.5%, an improvement of 3.1 points on the prior-year period.
Swiss WorldCargo
The airfreight operations of Swiss WorldCargo also reported encouragingly positive trends in the first nine months of 2004. Cargo load factor (by volume) amounted to 85.8%, a 2.2-percentage-point improvement on the same period last year. The result is attributable in no small part to Swiss WorldCargo`s consistent strategic focus on niche products and markets.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
